He picks up another rock and tosses it between his hands, as if weighing his reply. “My brother and I both understand the drawbacks of our life, but I believe in the monarchy as an institution in a way he never has. At least not since—” He abruptly cuts himself off.
“Since what?” I press. It’s annoying to realize there’s still so much about Theo I don’t know.
He sighs. “That’s a story he should tell you himself.”
“Cop-out!” I shout.
“It bloody well is, I won’t deny it!” He laughs. “The pointI’m trying to make is that being a royal is complicated, but most of the time, I like it. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the world is kind of shite right now—”
I bark a laugh; it feels like the understatement of the century.
“—but my family is a unifying force for our nation,” Henry continues, ramping up his passion as he goes. “The monarchy connects us to our past. It’s good for the economy, good for tourism, good for charity work,andmore politically stable than other forms of government.”
I roll my eyes. “What’s so complicated about that?”
“The point is, we have the power to do a lot of good. Right now, my brother is trying to use the power of the monarchy to protect you from the dangers of it.”
“You make it sound like you’re radioactive.”
“We are,” he says, with a conviction that feels like a premonition.
I wrap my arms around my knees and watch Theo’s head bobbing in the water. “If Theo’s trying to do what’s best for me, who’s trying to do what’s best for him?”
“Everyone is doing what they think is best for the Crown.”
“I’m talking aboutTheo.”
Henry chucks the rock into the water. “I think you know the answer to that.”
CHAPTER14
Naomi and Brooke return from the forest, and in the commotion of them seeing my stitches for the first time, Winston wakes up. Henry helps the guard move farther inland.
Brooke shudders. “I had no idea your cut was that bad.”
Naomi puts on a bright smile. “It actually looks better than I expected!”
“Don’t lie. I know it’s awful,” I say with a glance at my puckered skin. I’m so emotionally numb that I can’t muster a single feeling about it.
“They’ll fix the stitches when we’re rescued,” Naomi insists. “You won’t even be able to tell it happened.”
“Speaking of rescue…” I let my unspoken question hang in the air.
“I’m not worried yet,” Naomi says.
Brooke’s pensive gaze tracks from the gray sky to the empty horizon, where the last pieces of plane wreckage have disappeared in the distance. “They won’t ever find us if Reggie doesn’t get a signal fire started. I’ll bring him the kindling and show him how to do it. At this rate, he’s going to run out oflighter fluid before doing anything useful.” She walks away, cradling an armful of sticks, and part of me stings with jealousy that she has something to do.
My gut screams at me toDo something! Fix this, find a way out, make a plan.But for the first time in my life, I’m utterly paralyzed. There’s nothing to be done but sit and wait to be rescued.
“Am I in a nightmare?” I ask. The pain feels real, but it’s the only thing that does.
“Not unless I dreamed it too,” Naomi says.
“Our plane fell out of the sky, and we hit the water.”Nope.Saying it out loud doesn’t sound any more believable.
“Ourprivateplane filled with royals.”
“Maybe we’re dead.”
